


Mother Hen

by sebastian2017



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Everyone Is Alive, Fluff, M/M, Mother Hen Bucky Barnes, Not Canon Compliant, Polyamory, Sick Fic, and everyone is happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22151050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebastian2017/pseuds/sebastian2017
Summary: Steve manages to catch a virus that gets him sick. Unfortunately, it seemed the same bug had taken Sam down as well, because they both wake up in the early morning with congested chests, sniffles, and a fever. Poor Sam doesn’t even know what’s coming for him. Steve had never gotten a chance to warn him in the past few months since he’d moved in.There are few forces more powerful and stubborn in this world than Bucky when his loved ones get sick and need tending to.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 98
Collections: MCU RarePairs Bingo 2019





	Mother Hen

**Author's Note:**

> cw: sickness though not very vividly described
> 
> Fill for B4: Sick Fic

If someone ever asked Steve to describe Bucky in a few words, he wouldn’t struggle with it. He wouldn’t even hesitate. He has his answer: mother hen. Bucky is the world’s most persistent, most annoying mother hen. Is there any other way to describe Bucky? Sure, some people might say war hero or handsome or charming or any of a million other descriptors. But no. Mother hen. That’s the one Steve will always and forever see Bucky as the overly worried best friend who would spend days playing nurse at Steve’s bedside when Steve knows -  _ knows!  _ \- there’s a million better things he could be doing instead. 

Forget the strength and superhero status. The best thing the serum ever did for him was strengthen his immune system so he didn’t have to ward off Bucky’s fussing so often. 

Unfortunately, that didn’t mean there wasn’t the occasional virus that took him down. Even more unfortunately, it seemed the same bug had taken Sam down as well, because they both wake up in the early morning with congested chests, sniffles, and a fever. Poor Sam doesn’t even know what’s coming for him. Steve had never gotten a chance to warn him in the past few months since he’d moved in. Steve, though… Steve knows what’s coming. He knows from the second he sits up and spots Bucky sitting next to their bed, an all too familiar look of concentration on his face. 

“Mornin’, Buck. You been up long?” Steve asks, though he suspects he already knows the answer. 

Bucky shrugs. “Woke up a few hours ago for the bathroom and noticed your breathing was off. I checked and you both had fevers, so. Stayed up, just in case.” 

Sam pushes himself up to his elbows to get a better look and tries to stare him down, only to be interrupted by a fit of coughing. Damn. Steve just  _ knows  _ Bucky’s going to go all in now. Sure enough, Bucky has a glass of water held out for Sam half a second later. Sam takes a sip to ease his throat and says, “Jeez, man, you spotted a little fever so you set up a vigil? You’re kind of making me feel like I’m going to die over here.” 

“You’re just lucky he didn’t wake us immediately for a spoonful of cough syrup and the Barnes’ home remedy,” Steve warns, groaning as he kicks his blankets off and starts to stand up. 

“No, sir, you’re going to stay put,” Bucky insists, pushing him back down onto the bed. “First round of meds, coming right up now that you’re both awake. And then I’m going to get started on some matzoh ball soup for the both of you. Don’t move out of bed unless it’s to put something on the television.” 

And with that, Bucky disappears into the kitchen again, leaving them in bed like they’re a pair of quarantined patients. Steve knows there’s no fighting it at this point, so he just sighs and turns the television on to some ocean life documentary, and resigns himself to his fate. Sam comes out from under his blankets as well and settles down shoulder to shoulder with Steve. 

“I don’t know what you look so grumpy about, man. Getting waited on by Bucky while we just sit here and watch TV? Sounds like the life to me,” he scoffs, bumping his shoulder against Steve’s. 

“Just wait until he puts you down for mandatory nap time or something,” Steve grumbles. 

Sam laughs for a second, before realizing that Steve is definitely  _ not  _ laughing along. He frowns. “Wait. Are you serious? Does he really do that?” 

“Used to, yeah. Back when we were kids and I’d get sick all the time. I always said Buck shoulda been a nurse. He always fussed over me like he was getting paid for it,” he explains. “Get ready. He’ll be shoving soup down our throats, taking our temperature hourly, and keeping us on a nap and medicine schedule so strict even the army would think it’s a little inhumane.” 

“It can’t be half as bad as you’re making it sound. You’re just dramatic,” Sam decides.

Steve won’t try to argue it anymore. Sam will learn. The hard way, it seems. But he’ll learn. 

****

It’s not even sundown when realizes just how much of a mistake he’s made by thinking that a fussy Bucky is no big deal. The soup isn’t so bad, even Steve has to admit that. There are few things in life better than the Barnes secret recipe for matzoh ball soup. Steve just wishes he can have it at their kitchen table or as something to warm him up after a run out in the chilly weather or anywhere outside of his pseudo imprisonment under Bucky’s nursing. 

Currently, Bucky is busy disinfecting every inch of their apartment while Sam and Steve are laid up in bed with nothing to do but rest. Seriously. Bucky had shut the breakers of the room off to make sure Sam and Steve napped on schedule instead of watch TV with the volume off and captions on. That had pretty much been Sam’s breaking point. Steve is torn between feeling smug because of course he’d been right and not dramatic or feeling sorry for himself because he’s the one who has to listen to Sam’s whining between fits of coughing. 

“I mean, turn the power off in the room? Is he serious? Who even does that!” Sam insists, mumbling grumpily against Steve’s shoulder. “What if he turned the heating off? And then he froze us both to death and all this micromanaging was for nothing? What about that, huh? Not so smart now!” 

“The heating’s on another circuit, honey,” Steve reminds him.

“Oh.” Sam frowns. 

“Think of it as motivation to get better soon. That’s how I looked at it when were kids back in Brooklyn,” he suggests, leaning down to kiss his forehead while they cuddle. At least being sick together means they can still cuddle. 

“He did this every time you got sick?” Sam asks. “Steve, man, I’ve read all those history books. He probably did this every other week.”

“Pretty much.” Steve nods. “He started doing it back when my Ma was still alive, too. It was the funniest thing, seeing him shooing an actual nurse out of the way because he didn’t trust anybody else.”

“Well, when you put it that way… Kinda sweet, really.” Sam shrugs. 

“I guess so. I think he was just scared of losing me. Couldn’t have forgiven himself if he hadn’t done everything he could to save me.” Steve sighs, nuzzling a little closer to Sam. 

Bucky really was sweet, even if a bit misguided. Steve wasn’t sure what he’d ever done to deserve him, other than get beat up at the right place and time for their paths to cross. Sam gives him a quick peck - nothing sexier than a few kisses here and there when they’re both sniffling and coughing all day long - and gets up to leave the room. To the living room, probably to confront Bucky. Which… Sam is a brave, brave man. Braver than Steve could ever dream of being. 

He’s even more sure of this when Sam comes back a minute later, dragging Bucky along behind him while Bucky complains the whole way. “You two should be sleeping!” 

“Nuh uh, no way, I left the army so no one could tell me when or where to sleep. That includes you, even with your stupid, handsome face,” he insists. Sam doesn’t give up until Bucky’s in bed, trapped between the two of them. “Cuddle time. Screw your schedule, babe.” 

“You’re going to get me sick,” Bucky grumbles, though he makes no attempt to leave. 

“Tough. We’ll be sick together, sweetheart,” Steve says, grateful that he has Sam around to be the one functioning brain between the three of them. 

“Yeah,” Sam agrees. “And maybe when you’re sick, you won’t be able to keep any of us on your schedule.” 

“I’m just trying to help you get better!” 

“Shh, you’re interrupting scheduled nap time, Buck. Quiet cuddles now.” 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on Tumblr @sebbym17 or Twitter @sebbypn :)
> 
> Comments are lovely!


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